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As the 1980s continue to shrink in our cultural rearview, movie studios continue to greenlight decadent, souped-up homage vehicles in an attempt to cash in on the new retro. Some of these films rely too heavily on the nylon-and-neon kitsch of their setting, while others push past exteriors and actually capture a nostalgic spirit. “Take Me Home Tonight,” a ’88-set comedy about a landmark evening in the lives of a handful of L.A. 20-somethings, does both.
Written by the vintage-happy duo of Jeff and Jackie Filgo (“That ’70s Show”), the movie spends much of its first half packing in the era-appropriate details, from popped collars to moussed-up hair to “Come On Eileen” to the all-but-defunct Suncoast video store chain. It’s a flashy buffet designed to distract from the humdrum story’s lack of ambition: Swimming in quarter-life confusion, underachieving college grad Matt (Topher Grace) heads to an all-night bash with his judgmental sister (Anna Faris) and oafish friend (Dan Fogler), feigning success in order to woo his high school crush (Teresa Palmer). What else is new?
About midway through, however, “Take Me Home” begins to transcend its throwback doodads and throwaway plot by adopting the comfy, sex-tinged, underdog essence of upbeat ’80s cinema. Matt’s banal hunt for romance and identity becomes a nice geek’s “Can’t Buy Me Love” quest for the one. (His friend’s fat-guy schtick becomes less like a Jonah-Hill cliché for a cameo.)
“Take Me Home” will come and go as quickly as acid-washed jeans, but for a brief period it serves as an endearing, efficient little time machine. Once it reaches a climax where Matt rouses the party crowd with a speech before risking death to impress his dream girl, you’ll swear you were watching this movie on VHS – a VHS you bought at Suncoast.
Take Me Home Tonight
R
Two-and-a-half reels out of four
Open now in area theaters
Recommended Rental
Waste Land
Not Rated
Available Tuesday
One of many great art documentaries to be released in 2010, this unique, Oscar-nominated creation from prolific non-fiction filmmaker Lucy Walker charts artist Vik Muniz’s journey from Brooklyn to Brazil, and presents his encounters with garbage-pickers and art-makers at a Rio landfill. The film speaks to how beauty can be found most anywhere, and how art is linked to the human condition. SPR
Comment and see the trailers for this week’s movies at http://www.southphillyreview.com/arts-and-entertainment/movies.
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